The Fall of Kinmoku
by Celeste-poet
Summary: This is the story of the fall of Kinmoku, the planet of the Starlight senshi. What was once a great planet became plagued by Chaos and driven to destruction. Pre-Stars season. Rating due to minor language later.
1. Prologue

**I always wondered how Kinmoku got wrapped up in the mess with Chaos and how the world was destroyed. This is the story of the Fall of Kinmoku, as I imagined it happening.**

* * *

_Prologue_

Kinmoku was a rather quiet plant, hidden in the far reaches of a distant galaxy, surrounded by bright, beautiful stars. The people of the planet believed their gathered their power from these stars, which were the remnants of great sailor senshi from times before. Long gone were the days of the Sailor Wars, but the legends of the beautiful, legendary women lived on through the stars, told in constellations that spiraled and intertwined beautifully across the universe.

Kinmoku itself was a small planet, in terms of size—roughly about the size of Earth, a rather well-known planet in the universe. Unlike Earth, however, it had two moons, though both were barren of any life. Aside from the moons, there were no other celestial bodies for at least a light year. In fact, it was the only planet orbiting this one particular sun. In this way, it was partially isolated from other planets. At one point in the past, however, the rulers of Kinmoku decided to expand their empire. However, upon finding sentient life on other planets, they decided to not conquer, but communicate. This diplomatic solution found Kinmoku many allies in the worlds around them.

Another respect in which Kinmoku was different was that it did not hide the identities of its senshi heroines; rather, the senshi were a part of the people, a part of the way of life. They lived with the royal family in the palace, located in the capital city, Kinita.

Kinita was the center of all happenings, a rather grand city—the envy of many planets nearby. Its people were educated well, it was economically stable, and the city itself was rather beautiful. There were buildings without square concerns—they were rounded with triangular doors. This geometry made the buildings rather unique, as not many people used this technique in their buildings. They were usually red with black trimming, though the fashion was changing to a rather calm blue. The roads were paved with a sparkling granite that led straight to the palace. The palace itself was a large, red crystal building. Red and yellow flowers of many varieties surrounded it in gardens. Their bright, flowing petals numbered anywhere from one to two dozen.

The planet was ruled by Princess Kakyuu of the Kinita dynasty (the namesake of the city). The king and queen had passed some time ago due to a sickness that had plagued the planet. The king and queen, with their last bit of strength, used the power of their ruby crystal to heal the planet and eradicate the sickness. This resulted in their deaths, leaving Kakyuu as the only remaining heir to the throne. Many years had passed and so the planet at this time was thriving more than ever, in the middle of an era called The Ruby Eon.


	2. Chapter I

_**Author's Note:**_

_**No I don't own Sailor Moon.**_

_**And I made a somewhat minor change to the prologue.**_

_

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_

_Chapter I_

Our story begins on what would be a typical day—had it not been for the proposition that was being delivered to Kakyuu.

"Byledia, surely you cannot be serious," scoffed Kakyuu, standing in her royal bedroom, already dressed in a red dress with tiny jewels along the sides. She was struggling with her hairstyle and was becoming frustrated, letting her arms down. She turned around and put her hands on her hips. She looked at the woman she was addressing—Byledia, the advisor who had once served her mother before attending to her. The woman was rather old but hid her age rather well. Only distant wrinkles was visible, and her lively grey eyes complimented her dark hair rather well. She was pleasantly plump, and wore the traditional red dress of a maid working for the royal family, complimented by a gold scarf belt.

The woman motioned for her princess to turn around. As she straightened Kakyuu's long, luscious red hair, she began to speak again. "I think it would be good for you to be married—it is certainly long overdue."

Kakyuu laughed. "Honestly? Oh, haven't we discussed this before? Finding a man who loves me for anything but my royal status will be difficult."

"But Princess, how else will you have an heir?"

The red-haired princess sighed. "Is it really so important?"

"Yes, my dear," Byledia stated matter-of-factly, pinning the loops in the young girl's hair. "Having a family again—wouldn't that appeal to you?"

Kakyuu realized she had never thought of it that way. She had always considered her family to be her Starlights—the four senshi that were sworn to be by her side as long as they lived. "What would it be like, I wonder, to be in love?" she mused. She straightened out her simple, floor-length red dress and studied herself in the mirror.

"My Lady, it is surely a wonderful thing. Your parents…their love worked miracles." Byledia finished the last loop in Kakyuu's hair.

"Hmm…perhaps you are right. But how would I even begin this search to meet such a man worthy of the throne? It still seems impossible." Kakyuu turned to face her servant again.

"We will come up with a plan," Byledia stated. "Ryun and I will take care of it." Kakyuu nodded, thinking of Ryun. He was a man who served as Byledia did, though he took care of the king at one point. Surely he was looking forward to being of better use than he was currently—taking care of miscellaneous chores around the castle.

"Well, in any case, I will talk to the girls about it," Kakyuu said aloud, referring, of course, to the Starlights. "They will have a say in this as well." She suspected that perhaps one or several of them had their own crush on her, and would support her own decision to not find a king anytime soon.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

****

The Starlights were four senshi, named aptly for the four brightest stars in the sky. Their names had to do with the principles of Kinmoku. There was Sailor Star Fighter, who was a tall woman with long black hair and curly bangs. She was rather muscular and possessed a determined fighting spirit. She was rather confident and a natural leader. Her human name was Seiya, meaning "star" and "arrow."

Next was Sailor Star Healer. She had long silver hair with bangs around her face and crystal green eyes. She was rather standoffish and did not trust others rather easily, always guarding herself as much as possible. During missions, she was very focused on her goals and did anything possible in order to complete them. Her human name was Yaten, meaning "sky" and "night."

Sailor Star Maker was the third member of the group, an intellectual senshi with charming lavender eyes and long brunette hair. She was rather formal but also somewhat distant. She was the strategist when situations required her knowledge. Her human name was Taiki, meaning "air".

Last was Sailor Star Believer, the smallest senshi. What she lacked in size, however, she made up for in personality. She was long, braided blonde hair and hazel eyes. She was rather friendly and believed in the best of everyone. She was the only member of the team who viewed pacifism as an option. Her unfailing hope was her greatest power. Her human name was Kazuki, meaning "harmony" and "hope."

These four senshi typically went by their senshi names as a sign of formality when it came to the people of Kinmoku, though among themselves and the princess, they went by their civilian names. They typically wore black uniforms, much to Kakyuu's dismay, who commented from time to time that they should dress in more feminine garbs. They would typically stare at her, and she would sigh, knowing that her tomboyish protectors loathed the idea of being more "dressy."

****

The Starlights were already sitting at the breakfast banquet table when Kakyuu joined them. The princess settled herself at the end of the table, with two girls of either side of her. "Good morning, girls. You would not believe what Byledia was suggesting to me a few minutes ago."

"What?" asked Seiya, eager to know what was obviously amusing her princess.

"She was suggesting I find a partner—a husband, a king for Kinmoku."

Yaten nearly choked on her food. Taiki patted her on the back. After regaining her breath, she inquired hoarsely, "And why is that? You have not expressed interest in anyone, nor have voiced wishes to be with anyone."

"And besides, are we not good enough for you?" Seiya teased with a twinkle in her eye.

Kakyuu shrugged. "She says I should…for the kingdom…and to have a family, again."

"Oh." The Starlights were quiet for a moment, contemplating.

Taiki spoke up. "Well, I for one do not like this idea. Though Byledia has good intentions, it is difficult to find someone good enough for you, Princess, much less for the throne itself."

Kazuki leaned forward. "That is because you do not know the power of love. As long as this is not forced and Princess Kakyuu has the option of choosing, I have faith that this could be a good thing."

"That is because you are young and naïve," replied Taiki. "Romance is a vague wish, a dream."

"My parents were in love," Kakyuu spoke quietly. The table fell silent. It was rare that Princess Kakyuu even spoke of her parents, for it was still a hard topic for her.

The blond Starlight spoke up again. "It will make the kingdom complete, would it not? I just wonder how we would find someone, though…"

"I am not sure, but surely they will find a way. You know how Ryun and Byledia are," remarked Kakyuu.

"Ryun's in this too?" asked Yaten. "Goodness, they are serious."

Seiya inquired, "Are we telling the people as well?"

Kakyuu shook her head. "Not yet. We will see how things turn out. Today is business as usual."

*

"Business as usual" was Kakyuu's daily routine of meeting with the people. First on the agenda were ambassadors from near and far, all coming for various reasons, all coming in peace.

The room in which this was held was the throne room, where a large, red crystal throne with numerous carvings in it sat alone. There had been two thrones, but in the absence of a king, there was only one. The ceiling was high—at least 200 meters—with several paintings of the stars and constellations upon it, remnants of the legends from long ago. If it was nighttime and one gazed upon the ceiling, it would be almost the same as looking to the night sky outside.

Kakyuu seated herself on her throne, studying the line of people before her. There were many familiar faces, but the first woman in line was a total stranger. Kakyuu studied her for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what planet she came from. The woman had long, golden nails that reminded her of claws, with long, feather-like blonde hair and dark eyes. She wore a simple black pantsuit with long black boots. Two gold winged earrings complimented her otherwise dark look.

The Starlights entered the room and positioned themselves on either side of Kakyuu. Their presence was more out of habit than protection, since none had threatened harm against the beloved princess in quite some time.

Sailor Star Fighter nodded her approval, signaling her group was ready. Kakyuu smiled at her and nodded, motioning for the first visitor to come forward. The stranger stepped forward and curtsied quickly before straightening up. "Your Highness, my name is Washi. I come on behalf of my great leader—a senshi."

Washi now captivated all of the attention in the room. Sailor Star Fighter whispered to Sailor Star Maker next to her, "I wonder which senshi she refers to. It is rare for a senshi to be a ruler."

Maker just shrugged, concentrating on Washi. Something about this woman was not good, though she had no reasoning behind her suspicions yet.

Washi continued. "I have come to offer yours and my leader's power as a combination of forces, an alliance stronger than any you have had before," she stated boldly.

"I do not like this," muttered Sailor Star Healer. She exchanged glances with the others, and aside from Believer, the others seemed to feel the same way.

Princess Kakyuu herself was rather surprised by Washi's boldness, and motioned for her to continue. Washi nodded and said, "It simply requires a small transaction. If you give up your Star Seed, then she will give you power—power beyond your greatest imagination."

Warning signals were definitely setting off in the heads of the Starlights. They were not sure what a Star Seed was, but this offer of great power could only mean that this person was perhaps looking for an empire of some sort.

"My Star Seed?" repeated Kakyuu.

"Yes. For my leader to complete her plan of changing the universe, she requires Star Seeds."

"Change the universe?"

"The universe is in a state of chaos. In order to fix it, changes must be made. She wishes to rid it of impurities and imperfections. You see, she seeks to create the perfect universe."

"But no universe is perfect," interrupted Sailor Star Maker. "In fact, had it not been for the chaotic beginning in which is began, none of us would be here at the moment."

Kakyuu nodded her silent approval to Maker and turned back to Washi. Washi persisted. "I advise you from personal experience to submit to a greater power than your own. There will be no resistance powerful enough to withstand it, not even your own."

Sailor Star Fighter became passionately angry. "Are you threatening our planet? How can you stand there and say such things?" she demanded, raising her fist.

"Fighter, please," whispered Kakyuu, putting a hand on the angry Starlights' arm. Kakyuu said aloud, "I am sorry, but I am afraid I must refuse such a request. It is not our intention to conquer others, nor to seek more power. I also must ask you to leave peaceably, and to not return until your agenda has changed." She stood up to her full height. "Now please leave."

Seeing the princess was rather serious and firm, Washi became visibly disgusted. "Have it your way then, Princess. We will meet again, I assure you." She turned on her heel and marched away, leaving the entire room to watch as she angrily pushed over the doors to the great hall and left.

"It was good you said no, Princess. Surely that woman had other intentions that purely good ones," stated Sailor Star Fighter.

"Even I sensed a hint of deceit in her. However, she does seem to feel you are making a mistake," added Believer.

Healer shook her head. "We cannot associate ourselves with such people as that. Their intentions are none too honest, and will only result in damaged worlds."

"Girls, please…as much as I appreciate your support, I do have other visitors," the princess said, gesturing towards the crowd.

"Of course, Princess." Fighter gave the motion for the others to stay silent for the time being. There would be plenty of time to talk about their opinions later.

**

During the evening, the grand hall was transformed into a dining room. Princess Kakyuu and the most important governors of her kingdom sat at a round table, emblazoned with a pyramid of stars in the middle. The night's entertainment was the song of the Starlights. Not only were they known as the star senshi, but their excellent singing abilities led them to great recognition in the arts as well. Their gift of song seemed to inspire those who hear it, and it was considered a great honor to hear the Starlights perform live.

The Starlights stood in the center of the room, facing their small audience. They wore special maroon suits for the occasion of dinner and their senshi headsets. They bowed low before the princess before starting their song.

_Yaten:__ The moonlight shines upon your face_

_And I wish to be no other place_

_Than where the heart lies, safe at home._

_Without you, I am all alone._

_Taiki:__ For whilst the shooting stars_

_Seem to go so very far,_

_I know they will return my wish someday._

_A wish I wished for you…_

_All:__ Sweet, sweet Princess_

_There is none like you._

_Sweet, sweet Princess—_

_More than we ever knew._

_Seiya:__ I wish for the skies_

_To allow me to fly_

_And I will always find (find you)_

_Kazuki:__ I know there is peace_

_And hope will not cease_

_As long as I am by you (by you)_

_All: __Oooh, sweet, sweet Princess_

_There is none like you._

_Sweet, sweet Princess—_

_More than we ever knew (so true)._

_Sweet, sweet Princess_

_There is none like you._

_Sweet, sweet Princess—_

_More than we ever knew._

The Starlights bowed, and their audience applauded. Kakyuu smiled and nodded, a sign that she was very pleased with their new song.

**

It was finally nighttime. Kakyuu gazed out her triangular balcony window, studying the stars. The ancient stories that her father once told her about the great senshi of before whispered in her ear. There was once a distant legend about a moon kingdom far away, one that believed in peace such as Kinmoku did. Kakyuu vaguely wondered where such a kingdom would be in the great cosmos.

A more recent legend circulating among the people was that Kakyuu's own parents had not died, but become stars themselves, the two brightest in the sky. In this way, the people always felt protected under the guidance of the monarchs who had passed on. The princess spotted the famed stars to the north, both side by side.

A flash to the right caught her eye. It was a light so bright that it penetrated the universe. It was not the first time she had seen it, but it was a rare occasion. The astronomers had not believed Kakyuu the first time she saw it, until one night they finally caught a glimpse of it. Though they knew not its origin, they were certain it came from very far away.

_A light of power from another world…only a peaceful light could be so bright. _The light dimmed, and Kakyuu sighed wistfully.

A knock on the door interrupted Kakyuu's pondering of the mysterious light. She murmured, "Come in," before she turned around to greet her late night visitor.

It was Seiya, who, as she always did, came to check on the princess's well being before she herself retired to bed. "Good evening Princess." She sighed. "I certainly love coming to this room. Your scent is very calming."

Kakyuu smiled a little. "I am glad you came, Seiya. I saw the light again."

"Again? Hmm, perhaps a comet?"

"No, it was…different. I cannot explain it, but upon seeing that light, I suddenly felt at ease with myself and the universe. Such peace…"

"Perhaps Kazuki could explain it," suggested Seiya.

Kakyuu shook her head. "I doubt it. I have asked her before—she had no idea what it was. Of course, without seeing it, she would never understand…"

Seiya agreed, "Of course."

"At least you believed me all along. I had a hard time convincing our stargazers that such a light existed."

"Well, I did catch a glimpse of it a long, long time ago. Even if I had any doubts the first time you saw it, I did not have any after that moment." Kakyuu nodded, still wishing for the light to come back. "Your Highness?" Seiya asked, troubled by the strange look on the princess's face.

"I'm sorry, Seiya. I was just thinking…my parents would know. The king and queen would know—they are certainly in a better position to see where the light hails from. I wonder…what they would tell me…"

Seiya stepped closer to Kakyuu and put a hand on her shoulder. "Princess—"

"You know you may call me by name when we are alone," Kakyuu interrupted.

The black-haired senshi nodded. "Kakyuu, I am sure your parents would be very proud of you. They would give encouragement to continue your endeavors for peace…especially when confronted with people such as Washi."

"I do not know what her intentions were, but something felt out of place. Did you feel it too?"

"We all did," answered Seiya. "Even Kazuki herself doubted the sincerity of our guest today."

Kakyuu closed her eyes. "It is a shame that some still seek to conquer others. If only they believed…just as Kazuki herself believes…"

"I think we all find it difficult to have the same kind of hope that Kazuki naturally possesses."

Kakyuu chuckled softly. "Of course. Speaking of which, how is she adapting to the life of a senshi? She is still rather new…"

"New, yes, but her training is going rather well—when she stops arguing that learning to fight is not necessary since we are a peaceful planet."

"Yes, well, it is better to be prepared," Kakyuu stated. "Now, if you will excuse me, Seiya, I must go to bed. Another long day tomorrow." Seiya nodded and walked to the door, but just before she could turn the knob, she looked back at her princess. "What is it, Seiya?"

"It's just the moons…you truly make for a beautiful moonlight princess."

It was fortunate that it was dark. Kakyuu could feel a blush rushing to her cheeks. "Thank you, and good night."

"Good night, Princess." Seiya exited the royal chambers, leaving Kakyuu alone to gaze at the stars a little while longer.

* * *

**I wrote the song myself. I am planning to use their more well-known song later…(hint, hint). I also realized after I wrote the song, I needed to put that Kinmoku at least had one moon…otherwise, Kakyuu can't be a moonlight princess, correct?**

**By the way, "Washi" means eagle…and you shall see why she was named that in a short while.**

**P.S. The light that Kakyuu keeps seeing is Sailor Moon's eternal light. Every time she vanquished her enemy over the past two years, Kakyuu managed to catch a peek at the extraordinary light. Tonight's light was from defeating Nehellenia (the first time). Seiya herself does not realize this until she watches Sailor Moon transform some time later, in the anime.**


	3. Chapter II

_Chapter II_

Three days on Kinmoku passed before Byledia mentioned her proposal again. It was early in the morning again, while Kakyuu was getting dressed behind her private screen. From the other side of the star-studded wall, Byledia spoke. "Princess, Ryun and I have come up with a way for you to socialize with potential suitors without anyone suspecting you are actually looking for someone to be with."

"Oh?" Kakyuu zipped up her red dress. This one was a bit different from the week before; it had several long ruffles as the sleeves, with a textured wavy skirt. Looking at the full length mirror next to her and making sure she was the dress fit in all the right places, she inquired, "How do you intend to carry out your plan?"

"Very simple. You and I both know that the Celebration of Stars is coming up. We can use that as an excuse to invite others from different worlds to join us."

"Our sacred Celebration? Using that as a cover-up? Byledia, you are quite sneaky." Kakyuu stepped from behind her screen and crossed her arms.

"It is not sneaky at all," Byledia responded, smirking a bit. "Besides, it has been far too long since we have thrown a good ball."

"I suppose. I can send the Starlights as ambassadors and elicit responses from them."

"Do they approve of you meeting a potential suitor?"

Kakyuu shrugged and flipped back her long red hair. "It's hard to say. Their main concerns are my safety and my happiness. They support my choice either way, though I daresay they do have their preferences."

Byledia nodded. "Besides, what is the worst that may happen? It is a wonderful Celebration, a wonderful time."

**

The Celebration of Stars was a yearly Celebration in which much reverence was given to the same stars that gave the people of Kinmoku their peace of mind. It was not so much worshipping the stars as it was holding them in reverence. No one knows how the Celebration was started—only that it continued year to year on the very first day of a new year. Depending on what part of Kinmoku a person was, it was observed in many ways. Most people would pray to their ancestors and light candles. Others would hold festivals. All of the children were excused from schooling and workers excused from their jobs. Even criminals (there were a few) were released from their prisons and given a day of rest.

The capital of the little world, Kinita, was the center of all attention. Many people flocked here to see the palace and the Princess herself, for it was believed that all royalty descended from the stars.

Another part of the tradition, which was only done when the current senshi were retiring, was the Discovery of the Stars. This was the way in which the senshi were chosen. Though most senshi were somewhat related to the royal bloodline in some manner, the lineage diverged into the commonfolk as well, and so the senshi had come from different backgrounds. The one true way to test whether a person was a senshi was for the ruler of the planet to use their crystal and expose a person to it. Should the symbol of a star appear on their forehead, they would be revealed as a star senshi. (The symbol also appeared when they were in great distress, as such was the case in other revelations of senshi identities around the universe.)

Sailor Star Healer, Maker, and Fighter were descended from great senshi themselves, and so it made sense for them to test and qualify as the new senshi. They had been senshi for many years, revealed early in their youth when Kakyuu herself was a young girl. The surprise came when just last year, a girl from a small town decided to test as well. She claimed she had known from a young age that she was different from the others. Her parents had died some time ago, but after some investigation, she discovered she was a distant cousin of Seiya, Star Fighter. She requested that she be given the chance to test out as well. While Healer and Maker said no, Fighter and Kakyuu gave her a chance…and upon being touched by the princess, the girl's forehead revealed the symbol of a star. When a headset was given to her, she transformed into Sailor Star Believer—a senshi position that had not been held for many, many years.

Healer and Maker often seemed to resent Believer for having come into the position so late, when the rules and lessons came easily. They, along with many others, believed that Believer was not even a "real" senshi—that her power of belief would be utterly useless should a real disaster ever occur. Though neither Healer nor Maker would admit it, though, they sincerely cared for the new girl, and took great care to give her the best training possible.

Sailor Star Fighter had her doubts as well, but the new senshi seemed to please Kakyuu and therefore Fighter made allowances for Believer, giving her the benefit of the doubt in many cases and treating her in a better manner than the other two did.

This would be the first year that the quartet would celebrate together. Despite their differences in the past, they were finally banding together like a real team. It would only take one situation to test their strength in one another once and for all.

**

These thoughts about the Celebration filled the Princess of Kinmoku's head while she made her way to the Starlights' rooms. She was glad to see another year to come, and to see so much progress. Though it had troubled her the hurtles that Kazuki/Believer faced, she had overcome her adversity, greeting everyone—even those whom she know talked about her—with the same hopeful smile and manner of an angel.

Kakyuu turned the corner and went down a short hallway near the gardens. This part of the castle was rather open; great crystal archways revealed the outside. The red-haired princess walked to Seiya's room first, knocking softly on the door. It was rather early in the morning; Kakyuu had been in a bit of a hurry to leave Byledia and her discussion of what to look for in a prospective king. Seiya opened the door, still in her sleeping clothes—a black tank with long grey sweatpants. Her hair, still in a ponytail, was rather ruffled and she looked rather tired. Upon seeing who her visitor was, however, she immediately straightened her posture and tried to look more awake. "Princess! Good morning! Is something the matter?"

"No, no," chuckled Kakyuu. "I apologize for the early hour—I simply wished to talk with you and the other Starlights. Think you can get them to meet me in my quarters?"

"Absolutely. We shall be there in a matter of minutes." Seiya stifled a yawn while she bowed low to the princess, then closed the door.

Kakyuu felt slightly guilty for waking up the Starlights—this was, after, Starday^, the one day of the week where the royals—including the Starlights—were excused from the normal duties. Apparently, the girls—or at least, Seiya, anyway—had chosen this morning to sleep in. Kakyuu made her way back to her room, thinking of how she was going to pose her question to her senshi.

*

A few minutes later, as Seiya had promised, the Starlights arrived at the princess's private quarters. Kakyuu motioned for them to sit upon the dark red couches in the corner of the room. She herself continued to stand as she started to speak. "I do apologize for the earliness of this meeting, though I suppose in my haste I forgot that it was Starday^."

"It is quite alright, Princess, it is not good for us to waste such a beautiful day," Seiya replied, gesturing towards the window. Indeed, it was a rather fair-weathered day, with no clouds and cool air.

Kakyuu smiled before she continued. "I would like to request of you to be ambassadors. I wish for you to go to other planets and invite their leaders to travel here to attend our Celebration of Stars."

The girls' jaws dropped. "What for?" asked Yaten rather harshly. "They certainly do not appear to take any interest in our holidays, much less our celebrations."

Kazuki said, "Don't be ridiculous. They are our allies for a reason—if they truly care, they will at least express their wishes for us on our holiday. This is a good way for us to strengthen our relations with other planets."

"That is not the only reason for this invitation initiative, is it?" Taiki inquired.

"You are quite correct. Byledia feels it would be good to invite our neighbors and allies for our celebration. During the Celebration, we could hold a ball for our guests and our people—it would be an excellent method of socialization."

"And for you to meet someone special, yes?"

"You are correct, Taiki."

Kazuki clapped. "Oh, that is wonderful! So you really are looking for someone?"

The other Starlights stared at the blond girl, then at their princess. Kakyuu shrugged. "As Kazuki pointed out earlier, it is a good way for us to become more familiar with our allies. If I do not happen to meet anyone I am interested in, then I am not going to press myself into a relationship."

"Good for you," muttered Yaten.

"However," Kakyuu continued, "if I should find someone, I would like your support in my decision."

There was a rather long silence. "We will support you, Princess," Seiya said suddenly. "Won't we?" She looked rather pointedly at the others.

"Of course we will. We are sworn to protect you—but also to stand by you and your decisions," Taiki stated.

Yaten nodded. "Whatever happens, happens for a reason. Should you find someone and choose to marry him, then we will also protect him, as is our duty."

Kazuki smiled. "Just make sure he's cute, won't you?"

The other three stared at her, perhaps for acting so childish, but Kakyuu just chuckled. "I will, certainly."

"So where do you want us to go?" asked Seiya.

"Well, I do have a map. We will divide it into four quadrants, and each of you can take a different quadrant. It will take some time, though, as they are rather far away. Even as you travel as shooting stars, I will not expect you back for several days at the very least."

The four Starlights stood up simultaneously and bowed. "We will go ready ourselves for the trip," stated Seiya.

Kakyuu nodded. "When you are finished, return and I will give you your assignments."

The Starlights exited the room. Kakyuu sat down and sighed. She wished she herself could go, but knew that it would be difficult to leave the planet for so long without a proper substitute. Perhaps a king would not be a bad idea after all…

**

After getting their maps, the Starlights departed in their senshi forms from the roof of the crystal castle and went their separate ways, guided by the star maps that Kakyuu had given them.

*

Nothing unusual happened to any of the senshi—save for Sailor Star Believer.

She was headed to a large green planet, known as Junia. It was famous for its rather large military force, rumored to be one of the strongest in the universe. It was a planet with more land than water, hence the green color. Believer was unfamiliar with the world, but according to her map, the capital was on a peninsula. There was so much land, however, that it took a few circles around the planet to find the recognizable piece of landmass. She descended quickly and slowed as she reached the ground. Her sudden landing caused massive amounts of dust to encircle her, but as soon as the dust died down, what Believer saw, she almost couldn't comprehend.

There had been a great battle. The capital building—she assumed that was the previous purpose of the structure, due to the general architecture of it—was damaged and falling apart. Other buildings were completely demolished or still smoldering, as if a great fire had come about. There was an awful smell in the air as well—perhaps from the fire, she thought. Believer walked cautiously around, following the chill down her back.

As she came closer to the great structure in front of her, she began to notice more details. The flag on the top was tattered and torn. The columns which had previously upheld the building were severely damaged and cracked. She continued to press forward, but suddenly stopped. Looking to her right, she gasped. The source of the burning scent was due to charred human bodies. It was difficult to tell how many there had been, for skeletons were piled upon each other, and other bodies were apparently completely incinerated.

Tearing flooding her eyes, Believer knelt down and prayed to her stars, wishing for the souls of those who were gone to find peace. When she finished, she stood, still crying, and prepared to liftoff back to Kakyuu. She flew faster than she ever had before, the ghastly image of the city still burned into her mind.

**Starday: The equivalent of a Sunday on Kinmoku, where people take a day off from work and school. Even the royals obey this day as a day of rest.**

**Sometimes, people visit their local star tower and pray to their ancestors for strength in the coming week.**

**P.S. A week on Kinmoku is about eight Kinmoku days.**


	4. Chapter III

_Chapter III_

Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki had already returned to Kinmoku at least a day before Kazuki. They were with Kakyuu, eating breakfast when Ryun dashed in, reporting that he had seen Believer's shooting star. The princess and her senshi rose and went to meet their last senshi on the roof.

They made it to the roof just as Sailor Star Believer crash-landed on the crystal. Kakyuu rushed forward to check on Believer, assuming her crying was from landing so hard. The others followed behind. "Believer, what is the matter?" asked Seiya.

Sobbing, Believer just kept repeating, "They're gone…they're all gone, all dead, all burned…" She bent her head low, frantically distraught.

Yaten shook her shoulders. "Come on Believer, what is the matter? We cannot understand you when you babble in such a way."

Kakyuu threw the silver-haired girl a sharp look before turning back to the crying senshi. "What happened?"

Believer wiped her eyes, though the tears continued to stream even as she spoke. "I was on Junia…the people, they were all gone…"

"Gone?"

Believer nodded. "Their buildings were destroyed. Their people…" She began sobbing harder. "The people were all dead! Burned…you cannot even begin to imagine the smell…the sight…it was horrible…"

"Do you know what caused it? A civil war, perhaps?" inquired Taiki.

Believer shook her head. "No. You and I know that they were a militaristic planet. What caused their demise…was something not of their world. It felt…evil." She burst into more tears.

Kakyuu pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry you had to see that, Kazuki. You are excused from your duties today, all right?"

The blond senshi's eyes widened. "Oh no, I could not do that! I—"

"—have seen the ravages of war. It is something you are not used to, and will take some recovering," finished Seiya. "It is understandable. You have not been exposed to that sort of situation, and any of us would perhaps react in the same way."

Taiki nodded in agreement. "Even we would certainly be upset. It would be good for you calm down, and perhaps later we can discuss this more, all right?"

Believer smiled a little. She clicked her senshi headset, detransforming into her civilian form.. "I'll come with you," offered Yaten, and together they made their way to her room.

"I am impressed," said Kakyuu quietly. "You are certainly being friendlier to Kazuki."

Taiki replied, "We certainly cannot be harsh with her in this situation. It would be cruel. She has witnessed a particularly devastating event. None of us could expect her to be emotionally stable at this time."

Kakyuu sighed. "I know. I cannot begin to imagine what it was like for her to find it."

"She is rather fragile as it is. Certainly, an event like this could send her over the edge if it is not handled properly," Seiya added.

"I wonder what did happen, though. I trust her instincts enough to know that whatever happened was not a normal war."

"Whatever happened there surely may not occur here. We do not live by the sword," Taiki said.

Kakyuu replied softly, "I know. But still…I can't help but think this is significant."

"It may be, it may not be. Either way, we will have to wait for Kazuki to calm down before we can decipher what this may mean. As much as I would hate to force her to remember this tragic event, it certainly leaves a lot of questions," Seiya stated.

**

Yaten stared at her blonde companion as they made their way through the crystal halls. Though she once had reservations about the newest member of the Starlights, she could not help but feel sympathetic towards the young girl. The ravages of war were something she herself had not seen, and Yaten felt she herself had no room to judge how Kazuki was reacting. For all she knew, she herself could have reacted in the same way.

"I just do not understand," cried Kazuki. "I thought people were supposed to love one another. Why, oh why…"

Normally Yaten would have reminded her in a sharp manner that it was silly to think that the world was supposed to be all love and smiles, but this situation called for different tact. "I am sorry you saw such devastation. I know we live in a time of great peace, and at no point in your memory, nor mine, has a great war broken out. That is how things are in other parts of the universe, though. Sometimes the thirst for power outweighs consideration for fellow living beings."

Kazuki choked out, "That's so awful…" Her sobbing continued.

Yaten patted her hysterical partner awkwardly on the back. "It will be all right. Do not worry yourself…there was nothing you could have done."

"But I wish there was!"

The two Starlights reached Kazuki's room. "Would you like for me to stay with you?" Yaten asked.

Kazuki shook her head. "I'll…I'll be alright…" She wiped more tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm like this…I know it must annoy you…"

"It would be inconsiderate of me to judge what you saw. I cannot fault you for being so upset." Yaten touched Kazuki's shoulder. "I shall leave you alone for now, but do come find me, or any of the others, should you need something."

The blond senshi nodded and went into her room. Yaten stared after her for a few moments before heading back to the other Starlights.

**

"How is she?" asked Seiya quietly as the Starlights and their Princess headed to the throne room.

Yaten sighed. "She is rather upset. I think she will recover though, with our support."

"She is the senshi of hope and belief…surely her beliefs can pull her through this," stated Taiki.

"Let's hope so. I would hate to see her suffer from depression. Her feelings and emotions seem to pass from outside of her…even I feel saddened," remarked Kakyuu.

"Me too," the others added simultaneously.

Taiki asked, "Are we going to tell the people about this? Do they need to know about Junia?"

"I am not sure," answered the princess of Kinmoku. "I would not like for them to panic, though being on their guard could not hurt. I could ask the guards to make rounds more often and that sort of thing, but asking too much would raise their suspicions." As the four women entered the throne room, they could see the people already waiting. They look rather dreary and upset. Alarmed, Kakyuu turned to Lsart, a nearby guard. "What is going on?"

Lsart wiped his hazel eyes and shrugged. "I'm not sure, Princess, we all have been overcome with such overwhelming sadness."

Kakyuu turned to the others. It appeared their theory about Kazuki's power was correct—her sadness seemed to penetrate others outside of her. The red-haired princess patted the guard on the shoulder and reassured him that things would be all right, and made her way to the throne. "When we are through here, we should do our best to make Kazuki happy again. I never realized just how powerful her emotions were. No wonder the people were happy all the time when she was around…." Kakyuu remarked quietly to the Starlights.


	5. Chapter IV

_Chapter IV_

Another four days passed. The Starlights had succeeded in pulling their fellow senshi out of the depths of depression by distracting her as much as possible. As long as Kazuki was busy, she did not think about the terrible events on Junia, and that made everyone much happier. At night, however, the young girl's thoughts drifted to the tragedy, and it gave her nightmares.

The day of the Celebration had come at last. Kakyuu herself was somewhere between feeling excited and somewhat anxious. She hoped tonight Kazuki would stay happy—her infectious emotions could either make the night wonderful or dreadful.

Kakyuu was trying to loop her hair and having difficulties. Byledia usually helped her, but she was busy with decorations and setting up the food. A knock echoed on the princess's door. Sighing, Kakyuu let down her hair and went to open the door. Seiya stood there, dressed in her usual ruby uniform. "Won't you even dress up?" asked the red-haired princess.

Seiya winked. "Perhaps. Are you wearing your hair down tonight?"

Kakyuu shook her head. "No, but I am having trouble getting it up."

"Well, then, let me help." Seiya entered the princess's chambers and took the hairbrush out of Kakyuu's hands. "You do look wonderful tonight, Kakyuu." Indeed, Seiya was correct. Kakyuu wore a beautiful long dress. It was intricate in its many details. ^The sleeves hung off the shoulders and had many layers. The first few inches were red and puffed, and then the rest was yellow, stretched sleeves that hung down around her waist when her arms were held out straight. The middle of her dress was orange all around, with three light blue triangles along the top of the front.. Parting from the triangles was a wide, light blue stripe. The rest of her dress was layered fabric, colored a deep ruby red. Around her neck was a long, light blue ribbon tied in four bows, connected by a bronze pin shaped like a clover. The small pin was very similar to symbol on Kakyuu's forehead, the same symbol that designated her as the princess of Kinmoku.

Kakyuu's cheeks turned slightly pink. "Thank you, Seiya."

"So how do you feel? Nervous? Excited? Nauseous?"

The princess chuckled at the last suggestion. "No, I am not sick, but I do feel a little strange."

"How so?" Seiya pinned the last of the hair in a second loop and turned Kakyuu around to face her.

"I do not know…I feel as if something is going to happen tonight…I feel after tonight, nothing will be the same. It scares me a bit."

"It could be a good thing, this change."

"I hope so." Kakyuu took her crown from her dresser and set it upon her head. She only wore it in formal occasions such as this one. The front of it had five beads, alternating between green and red. The middle and the outer linings of it was pure gold, and on the side were more four-clovered pins.

"You look perfect, my princess." Seiya bowed, then stood straight up. "I need to go ready the girls for our little show."

"Of course. What ball is perfect without your wonderful singing skills?"

Seiya grinned. "Trust me, you won't forget this show for a long time."

**

Princess Kakyuu stood outside of the royal door that led to the throne room. She took a few deep breaths, then entered the room.

Byledia and Ryun had certainly outdone themselves. The already gorgeous crystal room was decorated with red ribbons and star-shaped symbols nearly everywhere. Star confetti was sprinkled onto the tables where the food was. A long red carpet with gold glitter was rolled out, leading from the front door straight to the throne itself.

People had already gathered, and the room became rather quiet as the princess entered. Ryun came forward and took the princess by the hand. "Good evening, Princess," he said, bowing his gray head towards her.

"Good evening, Ryun. Goodness, am I late?"

"A princess is never late," he spoke softly. He turned around and addressed the guests. "And here I present to you—Princess Kakyuu, of the Kinita dynasty!"

"All hail Princess Kakyuu! May she live long and happy!" shouted the people.

Ryun turned to the princess. "I am afraid I must go now. Byledia and I are still working on setting things up."

"You should not work yourself so hard. Enjoy yourself," Kakyuu said.

"I shall, as soon as everything is finished." Ryun bowed once more. "Have a good time, Princess." He departed from her presence and headed towards the kitchens.

Kakyuu walked towards the people and began talking with her governors. Several of them had already become familiar with the guests from different planets, and before long, she was interacting with ambassadors and leaders, some familiar, others complete strangers.

Triangular tables were set up all over the large room, with plenty of room for all. Kakyuu and her new acquaintances gathered their food from the well-stocked buffet and began to dine together. After everyone was seated and enjoying their dinner, the Starlights appeared on the raised platform where the throne was. Kakyuu was shocked—all four of them were in long black dresses with thin shoulder strap, all similar to one another, but with minute differences. Seiya's dress had a long slit down the left side, nearly up to her waist, Yaten's dress was layered with black lace, Taiki's dress was puffy around the very bottom, and Kazuki's dress was cut so that one side of it was shorter than the rest. Their hair was tied back as usual, with their senshi headsets in place.

Once they were onstage, they stood together side by side, looking down. The crowd became quiet, waiting for what would happen next. Seiya snapped her fingers. "Starlights, stage on!"

They looked up and straight at Kakyuu, though throughout their performance they gestured towards the other people present.

They began singing, their voices weaving over one another's in such a way that it was difficult to tell who was singing at what time.

_Search for your love.....  
Search for your love _

_You are always shining,  
Your smile is just like a tiny star.  
I cherish it very much. (everlasting starlight)  
That day I couldn't protect you,  
I can only hold my remorseful tears,  
What was left was pain ( I can never forget you sweetheart) _

_Search for your love, crystal of the universe  
Search for your love, don't cry for me  
Search for your love, as a matter of fact  
I love to hold you tightly. _

_I've always been looking for your sweet smell,  
to convey my voice. (I love you)  
Where are you now? (Moonlight Princess)  
Our Princess  
Answer me right away (Answer for me)  
Anwer me gently (Answer for me)  
Answer me right away (Answer for me)  
_

_Passing through the remote night sky,  
I'm making a wish in front of a shooting star.  
I'm mumbling to myself to see you,  
(please convey my message starlight)  
Time flies by quickly, I've grown up.  
Finally I feel; the pieces of memory are not enough._

_(Please stand by my side sweetheart) _

_Search for your love, the silver seed  
Search for your love, the boat is floating  
Search for your love, madly  
I was swept away by the current. _

_I've always been looking for your sweet smell,  
to convey my voice. (I love you)  
Where are you now? (Moonlight Princess)  
Our Princess  
Answer me right away (Answer for me)  
Anwer me gently (Answer for me)  
Answer me right away (Answer for me) _

_  
Answer me right away (Answer for me)  
Anwer me gently (Answer for me)  
Answer me right away (Answer for me) _

When they finished, thunderous applause echoed through the large crystal room. The Starlights bowed, then made their way to where Kakyuu sat. As they approached, Kakyuu stood, beaming with joy. "That was wonderful," she proclaimed. "Better than ever before. You have certainly outdone yourselves—such a great new song. You didn't have to write it about me."

Seiya grinned. "But of course we do. You are our muse, our inspiration."

Princess Kakyuu blushed, and then began introducing her Starlights to the newcomers.

After everyone was finished eating, a small orchestra set up in the corner of the room. The acoustics were just right in the room where everyone could hear the music clearly, and some began dancing in the center of the room where there were no tables.

Kakyuu looked at those dancing with apprehension. She had not danced in a long time, and was rather worried she would make a fool of herself. She busied herself in the meantime with meeting different people. At least one of the Starlights was near her at all times, until she became rather frustrated and accosted the nearest one, who happened to be Yaten. "Would you please stop following me?" Kakyuu asked quietly.

Yaten shrugged. "We are all keeping an eye on you. This many strangers makes us nervous."

"Well, you following me everywhere makes me nervous. Can't you watch from a distance? Please?" she pleaded.

Yaten bowed her head. "As you wish, Princess." She retreated to where the other Starlights were while Kakyuu composed herself.

Kakyuu felt as if she was doing as Byledia and Ryun wished—she had met several men over the course of the evening, though they all were rather different. Everlos, a young ambassador from the planet Hydia, seemed to be nice until he began speaking pure politics. Kakyuu had found an excuse to get away while the man went on and on about the different forms of government on his planet as compared to other worlds.

Another was Phoeg, a dark-haired man with entrancing blue eyes. The only problem with him was that he was too full of himself—while he was with Kakyuu, he spoke only of himself and all of his attributes. Kakyuu made up a flimsy excuse about needing a drink, but Phoeg never seemed to notice, he continued to speak to himself about himself.

While pouring herself some of the homemade wine, Kakyuu bumped into a blond teenage boy. "I am sorry," she apologized while making sure she had not spilled any drink on him.

The boy shrugged. "It's all right. It's really my fault, I was not looking to where I was going. My name is Trion, by the way." He extended a hand.

Kakyuu shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you. Where are you from?"

"I am from a very small world called Orioa. It's near the Orion constellation. In fact, my brother's name is Orion. He is the prince of our world."

"So you are a prince as well?"

Trion shrugged. "I suppose so. I never think of it that way—my brother is a far better leader than I could ever be. Would you like to meet him?"

"That would be nice," Kakyuu said, intrigued.

Trion let out a sharp whistle, and within a matter of moments, a tall sandy-haired man in a silver uniform appeared. A large golden sword was fastened to his side. "Trion?" asked a dark, husky voice. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nope, just wanted you to meet Princess Kakyuu," Trion said casually.

"Ah, Princess. I am Prince Orion." The older man bent down and kissed the princess's hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Kakyuu was nearly speechless for a moment as Orion's dark blue eyes met her ginger ones. Once she regained her senses, she replied, "Good to meet you."

*

From the other side of the room, Kazuki giggled. "Girls, look! I think she may have found someone…"

"Kazuki, it is rude to point," muttered Taiki.

Yaten stood up and peered over the heads near her. "I think she's right. Our Kakyuu seems rather smitten with a certain someone."

Seiya stood next to her, trying to get a glance. "Oh, I see now. Hmm, perhaps one of us should go rescue—I mean, help her out?"

"Oh, let her be. She seems happy," Kazuki said.

"And that's why we're sending you. Send off your happy vibes!"

Kakyuu suddenly felt rather shy. Something about this man certainly made her feel insignificant. Perhaps it was because he was so tall, or he was … _Don't even think about it, Kakyuu, _she told herself._ He may be handsome, but that's no reason to lose your nerve. He's just a guy, that's all. Nothing to fear. _She smiled as she chatted animatedly with Orion, though from the corner of her eye she could see Kazuki approaching. Excusing herself for a moment, she went to the blond girl. "What are you doing?"

"Be happy!" wished the young Starlight. Kakyuu felt a rather cheerful sensation spread throughout her.

"But I already was happy…I told you girls, you are making me nervous."

"You're already nervous. I can tell. He's a cutie. Is he a keeper?"

"I do not know yet." Kakyuu sighed, glancing back at Orion, who was talking with his brother. "Look, you can stay nearby, but only if you can stop my nervousness."

"Got it." Kazuki saluted her princess enthusiastically.

Kakyuu rolled her eyes and went back to Orion. He smiled broadly. "Is anything the matter?" She shook her head. "Well, then, would you oblige me with a dance?" He gestured towards the center of the room where others were already dancing.

The princess glanced back at Kazuki. She felt rather excited—and whether it was Kazuki's feelings or her own, she went with them. She accepted the offer and together she and Orion went to dance.

Seiya approached Kazuki, watching Kakyuu and her partner start to waltz across the floor. "How is it going?"

"Well, I suppose. I am so excited to see her so happy. You should feel how she feels—she was nearly speechless! It was exhilarating—our princess, nervous!"

Seiya chuckled. "And that is the same princess that figured she would not fall in love with anyone."

"Though it's not love yet, it certainly is a good start. He certainly seems to have good intentions," remarked Kazuki.

"Glad you think so. Yaten and Taiki are suspicious of him."

"As always."

"How are you holding up?" Seiya asked softly.

Kazuki's eyes dimmed a bit. "Well, as long as I do not think about it…then I am okay. This ball is certainly a good distraction."

Seiya nodded, not pressing the matter further. Last thing she needed was to make Kazuki depressed in the middle of such a happy event—especially with her feelings connected to the princess's feelings at the moment.

*

Orion smiled as he and the princess of Kinmoku twirled around the floor. "So, tell me more about yourself, Princess. Your planet intrigues me."

Kakyuu started explaining about some of the history of Kinmoku, though after a few moments, Orion interrupted. "I am sorry, Princess. Perhaps you misunderstood me…I want to know more about you. Surely someone as beautiful as you has her own thoughts, her own history."

Kakyuu's stomach dropped. Here was someone who was genuinely interested in her, or so it seemed. She shot another glance to Kazuki, and after a dose of confidence, began talking about her own past, her likes, her dislikes. Orion appeared to be listening intently, asking questions, and even agreeing with her on certain subjects. Kakyuu even spoke about her parents, and Orion offered his sympathies on the subject, and added that his own parents had died when he was young as well.

After several songs, the two sat down and continued their discussion. It was almost as if no one else was in the room—Orion and Kakyuu were talking like old friends.

*

"Well, that didn't take long," commented Taiki.

"Yes, it certainly seems she is very happy with him," agreed Yaten. "I wonder who he is."

Seiya approached their table and sat down. "That guy is Orion, Crown Prince of Orioa."

"THE Orion?" asked Taiki incredulously.

"Yes, I suppose so. Have you heard of him?"

"He is rumored to be very powerful, dubbed 'Son of the Stars'. He has abilities similar to that of a senshi."

"Interesting. Is he a threat?" Seiya inquired.

"Not necessarily. It is also rumored that despite his great power, he is content to live upon his small world and not conquer the universe, much like Kinmoku."

"Do you believe that?"

"Who knows…but I will keep my eye on him."

"Me too," added Yaten. "It is almost too good to be true."

"That it is."

*

Byledia beamed when she saw her Kakyuu finally interacting one-on-one with someone who could be a potential suitor. She knew, though, that the Lighting of the Star ceremony was approaching soon, and as much as she did not want to interrupt her princess, she knew she must. She made her way over to where Kakyuu and Orion were talking, and lightly tapped Kakyuu on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Princess, but the Lighting will be taking place soon."

"Ah, yes, Byledia. Thank you. Tell Ryun I will be ready in a few moments," Kakyuu replied.

"The Lighting?" inquired Orion.

"The Lighting of the Star—it is a sacred ceremony where we light a very old star-shaped candle and observe a moment of silence for the stars that guide our world."

"Ah. We have similar beliefs—that within the stars lie great power and great history."

"Yes. That is why we have star senshi—our Starlights. They possess the power of the stars, and the power of the four values of Kinmoku—fighting, making, healing, and believing."

"Fighting?"

"Well, only in necessary times. This is the time of the Ruby Eon—not a war has occurred in so long, it is almost ancient history."

Orion nodded. "I wish our planet had been so lucky. The Negaverse, a few years back, tried to conquer our world, though we were able to fend them off. The people of my planet wanted to crown me then, but I wanted to do something more significant than to defend them."

"What could possibly be more significant than that?" Kakyuu wondered aloud.

Orion took her hand. "Finding someone that I could love, protect, and defend."

***

**Author's note:**

**^Anyone who watched the anime or read the manga, you may recognize this dress as the one Kakyuu wore in the series. I was doing my best to describe it. It was *really* hard.**

**I'd like to think the four bows stand for the four Starlights.**

**And…I'm pretty sure most of you recognize the song from the Sailor Stars season. There's a reason for that.**


	6. Chapter V

_Chapter V_

A woman, wearing a dark pantsuit and gold winged earrings slipped into the crowd. She looked cautiously around as she made her way through the people. Spotting an empty table in the corner of the room, she headed towards it and took a seat. Her front pocket vibrated, and she pulled out a small phone-like device and answered it. "Yes. Yes, it's almost time. Yes, they are unaware of my presence." She paused, straining to listen to the device over the music and the people. "I shall, Galaxia." She clicked a button on the device and slipped it into her pocket. She glanced around before making her way to a nearby hallway. Once she was certain no one was around, she pulled out a small henshin pin and called out, "Eagle Star Power!"

*

Kakyuu stopped breathing for a moment. This was almost like one of those old love-tales Byledia once told her when she was younger. It was unreal.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Byledia motioning for her to start the Ceremony. Kakyuu blushed and muttered, "Excuse me," as she got up and went to the front of the room, where four candles were arranged. Three were shaped in a triangle, and a fourth was placed in the center.

The Starlights stood by their respective candles. Kazuki, Yaten, and Taiki were the outer points out the triangle while Seiya stood by the candle in the very center. They bowed as Princess Kakyuu made her way towards them. Kakyuu stopped just short of the candles and began to address the crowd. During her speech, all attention was focused on her, and so no one noticed when one by one, the guards standing around the room disappeared. "Good people of Kinmoku, my fellow guests, and Starlights—I do appreciate your presence here tonight. As you know, this is the time of the year where we celebrate the stars the guide our lives. We praise the stars for their light and their power in everything we do. We are indeed grateful to those who have gone on, for through their passing, they only continue to lead us as a beacon into the future."

Ryun appeared at her side, presenting a set of matches. Kakyuu took the matches, nodding her thanks. "Tonight, we shall light these four candles. They represent the power within this world—the power of fighting, healing, making, and believing." Kakyuu nodded to each senshi as she addressed them. "We hope that through these truths, our peace will continue eternal."

As she struck a match, a sudden crash erupted. Turning around, Kakyuu saw the starry ceiling fall in. The room became clouded by dust, and people began to panic. The princess shouted for silence, and as soon as the dust cleared, people began to stop shoving each other. They stood around, questioning what was going on.

Orion appeared at Kakyuu's side. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "I don't know what's going on."

"Neither do I." He held her hand as they saw a figure appear on top of the rubble. It was a tall woman with feather-like blonde hair. She wore a sailor suit, with a skirt made of long, golden feathers. Her nails were long and sharp, much like claws, and her eyes gleamed a sharp yellow. Gold winged earrings hung from her ears and two wings crossed her chest. A small, sliver of a golden tiara sat upon her forehead, and her senshi collar was a goldenrod color.

"I think I recognize her," muttered Kakyuu. "But surely…"

"Who are you?" demanded several of the people.

The senshi chuckled. "I am Sailor Golden Eagle! And I have come to prepare the way…for my leader to put destroy this world!"

Her announcement shocked the people. The room began to buzz with angry conversation until Kazuki stepped forward and shouted, "If you were a true senshi, then you would not want to cause destruction!"

Yaten gasped. "I recognize you—you are Washi, the visitor who wanted Star Seeds!"

Sailor Golden Eagle nodded, smirking. "So you _do_ remember me. I did warn you sufficiently. Now it is too late."

"Star Seeds?" Orion's eyes were wide with horror.

"What's wrong?" questioned Kakyuu.

"Star Seeds are special crystals that each person possesses. True Star Seeds are owned by senshi and royalty...and have everlasting light and power," Orion explained quickly.

The menacing senshi raised her arms. She wore two golden bracelets, each with a different colored gem in the center. "Prepare now to lose your precious Star Seeds!"

"I don't think so! Fighter Star Power, Make-up!" Seiya began to transform into her senshi form. As the power of her henshin burned up her body, long black boots appeared, along with long black gloves. Her short black suit appeared next, along with a buckle around her neck. Several flashes of light later, she posed, ready to face off against Sailor Golden Eagle.

The others nodded to each other, and started their transformations.

"Healer Star Power, Make-up!"

"Maker Star Power, Make-up!"

"Believer Star Power, Make-up!"

Their transformations were similar to Fighter's, though they all had minor differences in their black senshi outfits. Healer's uniform was outline in green, Maker's in purple, and Believer's in red. After they all transformed, they stood together and shouted, "Starlights, Stage On!"

Golden Eagle cackled evilly. "Ah, easy targets. So glad you revealed yourselves so early. Surely you four must be the ones I'm looking for. Your Star Seeds will be the first to become mine!"

****

**A/N: Meh! Little feedback! I would like to know if this is any good!**


	7. Chapter VI

**Thanks for all of the reviews thus far. Hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

**Warning: little cliffhanger(s)…**

*********

_Chapter VI_

The Starlights braced themselves for an attack. "Believer, go take care of the princess," Sailor Star Fighter ordered. "We'll take care of this."

Believer gave a curt nod and ran towards Princess Kakyuu. Grabbing her hand, Believer led the redhead away from the danger. As they were meandering through the crowd, trying to get to the halls, Orion caught up with them. "Kakyuu!" he called out. The princess and the Starlight stopped in their tracks for a moment. He stated loudly, "Believer, I can take princess somewhere safe. Should anyone catch up with us, I can defend her." He brushed his long black coat aside, revealing his long sword by his side.

Believer hesitated for a moment, though she felt she could trust this stranger completely. She let go of Kakyuu and nodded reassuringly to her princess. Kakyuu smiled and mouthed, "Thank you," to her before Orion took her by the arm and led her away from the ensuing chaos.

*

Many of the people were quickly exiting through the doors. They were unused to fright and peril, and Sailor Golden Eagle was a threat they were not equipped to deal with. Eagle appeared to be letting them go for the moment, focusing her energies on attacking the Starlights. "Eagle Solar Winds!" she cried out, and a strong gust of wind came from her direction, nearly knocking down the Starlights.

"It's going to take more than a little breeze to stop us!" mocked Sailor Star Maker, even as she was struggling to stand up. "Star Gentle Uterus!" A sharp light erupted from her Star Yell* and hit Sailor Golden Eagle, knocking her back and stopping the windy attack.

Believer, by this time, caught up with the others and made her stand with them. "Where is the Princess?" asked Healer frantically.

"She's fine, she's with Orion," Believer stated passively.

"But we don't even know him!"

"We can trust him," the blonde Starlight maintained. "I certainly do."

Healer groaned, but Fighter put a hand on her shoulder. "If Believer trusts him, then we can, all right? She can sense it better than any of us."

"She also just assumes that everyone is automatically good."

"Not necessarily," Believer pointed out. "For example, Eagle is going to attack in several seconds if you aren't paying attention!"

Healer snapped her attention back to the enemy senshi, who was, as Believer said, preparing an attack. She felt embarrassed that she had allowed herself to get sidetracked, and put her anger into her attack. "Star Sensitive Inferno!" An orb blasted from her Star Yell, knocking again into the Eagle senshi. "Ha, not so tough now, are we?" she taunted.

"We'll see about that!" Eagle hold up her wrists and two yellow flashes erupted from her bracelets, hitting the last of the people who were trying to leave. The first two victims were Byledia and Ryun, who screamed in pain, then collapsed.

*

Kakyuu gasped as she saw her two beloved servants fall. "There's nothing you can do now," Orion said. "I'm sorry, but we need to go." Kakyuu nodded with tears in her eyes, and exited the room with her partner. As they ran down the hallway, Orion asked her, "What is the safest place you know you can go and your senshi can still find you?"

The princess thought for a moment. "I suppose we could go to the Star Tower."

"Where is that?"

"This way," Kakyuu motioned to her left, and the two left through a crystal door into the dark night.

*

Sailor Star Believer ran to the servants' side, but the damage had been done. From the tops of their heads, small yellow flowers budded and opened, revealing diamond-shaped crystals. The crystals started out a light color, but then quickly faded to black, as if poisoned. The fallen servants then began to tremble, and their bodies began changing. "What's going on?" cried Believer.

Byledia changed into a rather evil-looking maid, complete with a black sailor collar and skimpy black maid suit. Her eyes were completely dark and her face was distorted into an evil grin.

Ryun was transformed in a similar way; he wore a dark sailor collar and his outfit was long and dark, complete with a trenchcoat. Both of the servants carried featherdusters in their hands.

"These are phages," Sailor Golden Eagle explained. "Every person has a Star Seed in them—but those who aren't true senshi such as yourselves can turn into a phage when their star seed is removed."

"I am Sailor Matron Maid!" declared evil Byledia.

"And I am Sailor Mr. Clean!" shouted evil Ryun. They both shook their featherdusters, and each end of the duster turned into little, sharp knives.

"Holy shit!" cursed Star Maker. She held up her Star Yell, fully prepared to attack the former servants.

"Wait!" cried out Believer, standing between the brunette senshi and new evil senshi. "You can't attack them! It's Byledia and Ryun!"

"They're not themselves anymore. Stand aside," Maker ordered.

"No! You just can't!"

"I said, stand aside!"

"I won't!"

At that moment, the evil Byledia raised her weapon to strike the young blonde senshi. Seeing the danger, Fighter pulled Believer out of the reach of Byledia, causing the servant to miss. Believer glanced behind her, and began to realize just how close she had been to suffering injury due to her beliefs. It shook her deeply, and she muttered her thanks to her rescuer.

Maker shook her head at Believer and continued with her attack. "Star Maker Strike!" Another sharp beam of light came her star device and hit both of the evil servants, knocking them down and causing them to lose their grip on their weapons.

"Hey don't forget, we've got Eagle to deal with too," pointed out Healer.

"Right. Believer and I will handle her," stated Fighter. "You two handle the servants."

"You really think this will be so easy?" sneered Sailor Golden Eagle. She shot out another two blasts from her bracelets, which went through the open doors and struck two more unfortunate victims.

*

The Star Tower was located just outside of the castle, and had been a symbol of security and hope for as long as anyone could remember. It was a tall, stone structure that was just short of being as tall as Kakyuu's own home. The diameter was about as large as the throne room in the royal court, and the whole structure was round. The windows were triangular, much like the older buildings in the city. The bottom room was a prayer room, with long rows of seats and a sort of altar at the front for the zealous prayers. It was a golden table with silver stripes across the top and bottom of it. Pictures of the sun and the two moons were engraved along the sides of it.

To the side was a set of stairs that led to another room above it. This room was filled with books and decorated with rare paintings of the stars. It was more or less the unofficial library of Kinita, and official records were kept here. There were several chairs dispersed throughout the room for readers. A large, red star-shaped rug decorated the middle of the room.

Another staircase led to the top floor. It had a rather antique but still working telescope at the very edge of the room, where a person could look at the stars if they so wished. A map of the stars laid on a table near the telescope. A long red couch was the only other object in the otherwise sparsely decorated room.

Kakyuu headed for the couch and sank into the cushions, her head in her hands. Orion sat next to the princess and put his arm around her. "I'm so sorry, Kakyuu. I know this was supposed to be a special night for you."

"Yes," she sniffed, "and now my two servants are dead!"

"They're not necessarily dead."

"You saw the way they fell! Their screams…I swear, I will never get that sound out of my head…" Kakyuu buried her face again.

Orion took his free hand and took one of Kakyuu's hands. Her palm seemed tiny compared to his. "It will be all right. I am sure your Starlights can handle the situation." He kissed the tips of her fingers.

She looked at him and smiled a little. She could feel something different within her, and it was not due to Believer's influence. Her heart felt like it skipped a beat whenever Orion touched her. It was hard to feel this way when she knew her friends were in danger, and yet she could not help herself.

Orion, meanwhile, judged between admitting his sincere feelings for the beautiful woman next to him and trying to distract her from her current situation. He chose the latter. "So earlier you mentioned you went by a nickname?"

Kakyuu nodded, glad for the change in topic. "Yes, my father often called me 'Fireball Princess.' I was a rather energetic child, and so the nickname stuck."

"That's cute," chuckled Orion.

The princess shrugged. "It is also, coincidentally, the same name I go by whenever I call upon my own powers."

"Your powers?"

"Yes, I have never fully tried them out. The results of calling forth such powers could result in loss of energy…or in some dire cases, death."

Orion nodded understandingly. "I assume this is why you do not use them now?"

"Only in dire situations. So far, it is only one senshi causing all of this chaos."

*

The Starlights looked on in dismay as more and more phages came towards them. They had finally defeated Byledia, Ryun, and a few other fake senshi after about an hour of exchanging attacks, but the numbers of their enemy kept growing. Thanks to the phages, Believer and Fighter had a difficult time trying to attack Golden Eagle, as they were distracted by the numerous enemies that kept appearing in their midst.

"There's too many of them!" yelled Sailor Star Maker. "We can't defeat them all!"

Fighter suggested, "Perhaps one group attack? Instead of dividing our powers, we can combine them!"

The others agreed. Together they shouted, "Starlights Fusion Tempest!" The quarter held their senshi stars in front of them and released their strongest attacks. Powerful energies flowed from them and struck a majority of the phages, completely obliterating many and severely injuring others.

Golden Eagle narrowed her eyes. "Galaxia would not be pleased with that," she muttered to herself. "There's only one solution to a problem like this…" While the Starlights had their backs to her, she aimed her bracelets towards them…

*

It had begun to thunder outside. Kakyuu walked to the window with a worried look on her face. She gasped when she saw total darkness, only visible when flashes of thunder stretched across the sky. "Oh no, what could be happening?"

Orion stood by her and gazed upon the gloomy city. "I do not know. I have seen nothing quite like this before."

"Believer did once. She came upon a planet that had been completely destroyed…what remained of the people still burned even as she visited. It seems that event may have foretold our own fate…"

The tall prince looked sympathetically at the concerned princess. "Surely that same fate could not happen to such a great planet such as here."

"I do not know…I wish Believer herself was here…she has such a way with feelings…"

"But I am here. I will protect you, Princess, at all costs. From the moment I met you, I have felt drawn to you and your little world. Perhaps it is too sudden—but I never would have believed it myself if it had not happened already."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I love you."

* * *

**Star Yell = small, star-shaped device that lit up in different colors when preparing an attack. The source of the Starlights' powers come from these devices.**

"**Star Gentle Uterus" has always been a strange attack, it seemed to me. Perhaps they lost something in translation?**

**The other attacks that may not be familiar come from additional Materials Collections that never specified what they did. They were never used in the manga nor the anime.**


	8. Chapter VII

_Chapter VII_

Before Sailor Golden Eagle could release her attack from her bracelets, however, Star Fighter caught a glimpse of her. She turned around quickly and yelled, "Star Serious Laser!" A focused light blast struck the opposing senshi, knocking her down again. "Starlights, let's finish her! Try to hit those bracelets if you can."

"Right!" the others agreed. Together they used their united attack again: "Starlights Fusion Tempest!" Once again, they focused their individual attacks into one, and all at once, they hit Sailor Golden Eagle. She screamed in pain as they struck her, convulsing and collapsing to the ground. As she tried to catch her breath, the bracelets she had been wearing cracked and fell to the floor.

"Nooooo!" cried out Eagle. She scrambled to pick them up and reattach them to her wrists, but it was no use. As she tried repeatedly to reassemble the broken pieces, she appeared to be losing energy, until she was lying flat on the floor, still fiddling with the bracelets. "Galaxia!" she cried out. "Oh Galaxia, they've broken them, please help me!"

"You pathetic weakling! You expect me to fix your mistake?" a deep feminine voice boomed from somewhere higher.

"Please! Have mercy!"

"You had your chance. You have failed me."

"No!" Even as the proud eagle senshi cried, however, her body began fading into oblivion.

The deep voice began to address the Starlights. "You think you are safe now, perhaps. But whatever will happen to your dear Princess?"

"Kakyuu!" the Starlights gasped.

"Come on! We have to get there before our enemy does!" declared Sailor Star Fighter. She motioned for the other Starlights to follow her. They dashed down the steps leading from the castle, heading towards the Star Tower.

*

_Such simple-minded creatures. I had not even known where their Princess was, and yet, they will lead me straight to her._ Watching from a distance, the warrior chuckled to herself.

*

Meanwhile, Kakyuu sighed wistfully as she allowed the prince to wrap his cloaked arms around her. Despite all that had happened throughout the evening, this moment finally felt…right. She was not sure how to reply back to Orion's sudden declaration of love, but he did not seem to mind the quiet silence between them. Perhaps being in an embrace was enough to sustain the moment.

She heard a deep voice out in the distance, but could not make out the words. It started her enough to part the embrace. Orion looked at her, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I couldn't hear what it said, did you?" the princess asked. Orion shook his head. "Neither did I. But it sounded so cold, so threatening…I wonder what it is…"

"Or who it is," added Orion.

A chorus of voices called out, "Kakyuu!"

"Starlights?" the princess called back.

Coming up the stairs were her guards, looking very tired from the battle. They appeared immediately relieved upon reaching their princess, however. "Kakyuu, you have to get out of here. It is not safe for you," stated Sailor Star Fighter.

Kakyuu shook her head. "I cannot desert my responsibilities here. And I refuse to run."

Maker argued, "But Princess, the enemy had made a threat against your life. It is our job to protect you."

"It is _our_ job to protect this land and the people living here," Kakyuu emphasized. "I will not abandon my duties as Princess." She turned to prince standing next to her with pleading eyes. "You will help us, won't you?"

Orion bowed low before her. "I shall do all within my power."

Sailor Star Healer started to protest. "Princess, with all due respect—"

"I know you fully do not trust him…but I do, and that should be enough. I am sure he has nothing to do with this attack on our home."

"And you would be quite correct, Princess," a familiar deafening voice called out.

Turning towards the window, Kakyuu called out, "Who are you, and what do you want?"

"Come outside and find out," answered the voice.

Maker moved herself in front of the stairway. "No, Princess, don't! It's probably a trap!"

"Let us go out there, after we make sure we can move you somewhere safer," suggested Sailor Star Believer.

"I do not like to be kept waiting!" called out the angry voice again. In the curves of the window, a figure appeared. She was a senshi, just as the others were, but there were significant differences. She had the air of great power and royalty, dressed in a golden battle senshi suit, complete with golden bracelets and tall golden boots. Her eyes were an angry caramel color. In the middle of her chest was a pendant orb with several triangles protruding from it, as if it were the symbol for the universe. Though the others in the tower would not have known it, this woman had long blond hair that faded into red, but it was all contained on the top of her head in an elaborate headdress with golden strips surrounding her head. It was all very intimidating, and so the tower fell silent for a moment.

"Who are you?" inquired Princess Kakyuu, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

"I am Sailor Galaxia," the stranger said simply, as if it were a well-known fact.

Believer asked, "If you are a senshi, then why do you fight us?"

Galaxia narrowed her eyes. "I am not one of you. My powers far outstrip yours. I am the rightful ruler of this galaxy, and I shall take what is mine!" Galaxia held up her arms and her bracelets began to glow.

The Starlights dashed in front of their princess. Sailor Star Fighter declared, "We will not allow you to harm her! You will have to go through us first!"

The golden senshi chuckled. "Have it your way, then." She stretched out her arms and a brilliant shock struck the Starlights. They cried out in pain.

Kakyuu became rather angry. She started towards Galaxia, but Orion held her back. "I would not suggest attacking her alone," he said in a low voice. He pulled out his grand sword and stepped in front of the red-haired princess. "All right, Galaxia, give it your best shot."

Again Galaxia unleashed her awesome power. Holding the sword in front of him, Orion was able to deflect some of the attack, but still fell in pain and agony. Galaxia addressed Kakyuu. "Now it is your turn. All of your comrades have fallen." Grinning evilly, she held up her bracelets again. Two yellow flashes from the twin bracelets headed for the princess.

"No!" Believer jumped up and took the hit. She screamed in pain and kneeled. From the top of her head, a small flower unfolded and a golden crystal appeared.

"No, not her," gasped Fighter. The others stared in shock as a triumphant Galaxia strode over and took the crystal from Believer.

"Well, this worked out better than I imagined. One more Star Seed for me, in any case." Galaxia grinned. "I'll leave you to deal with your friend in her true form." The golden senshi sent another pulsing shock through Believer. "I've invested enough power in her to keep you busy for a while. She'll have your Star Seeds soon enough, won't you?"

Believer, as if in a trance, dumbly nodded.

"Have fun." With those parting words, Galaxia disappeared.

Fighter went over to her fellow Starlight. "Believer! Believer! Answer me!"

The blonde senshi began to twitch. Part of her was fighting the evil Galaxia had invested in her, but it was quickly losing the battle. The new power was speaking to her in strange ways, and was starting to make sense. Once her inside strength faltered, she lost the battle within herself. The only outward sign was that her eyes began to dilate.

Kakyuu knelt next to her. "Believer, please hold on! Fight to stay with us!" Believer stood up and faced the Princess. "You're one of us, remember?"

"No. That is where you are wrong. I was never one of you. I was never accepted," droned the possessed Starlight.

Healer started to speak. "Believer—"

"Shut up!" Believer held out her arm and released an incredible beam of dark energy. It threw Healer against the wall.

Princess Kakyuu said desperately, "Kazuki! You have to fight this evil!"

"No I don't." The evil Starlight began to rush towards the princess in an attack.

Maker called out, "Star Gentle Uterus!" A beam erupted from her Star Yell and hit Believer squarely in the chest.

Distracted by Maker, the evil Starlight disregarded attacking the princess. "I think it's time to get physical with you. For far too long, I was so inferior to you…and now I do not have to be." She began to fight with the brunette.

While two of them traded blows and kicks, Healer remarked, "I think she's too far gone."

"No, we can't give up on her!" declared Kakyuu. "She is still a Starlight."

Healer shook her head. "Not anymore. That is not the Kazuki we knew. I wish there was something we could do…"

"What about the Ruby Crystal?" inquired Fighter.

"You're right. I should try it, at the very least." Kakyuu held out her arms majestically and concentrated deeply. A deep-red crystal appeared from her chest, shimmering in the dim light of the night. Kakyuu's mind began racing by this point. What if it didn't work? What if Believer was doomed to be evil forever? Would they have to destroy her if this didn't work? She could feel her grip faltering around the crystal. What if she was not powerful enough to turn her back?

The crystal was meant for a definite power. Being distracted by questions was not the way it should have been handled. Though Kakyuu had little practice with the crystal, she knew these things, and tried to concentrate all the more. She forced her power, perhaps a bit too soon, just when Maker had knocked down Believer to the floor. A bright red light surrounded Believer and her body began to float in the air. Black ribbons instead of her senshi fuku surrounded her. Her eyes began to return to normal. It was almost enough power to bring her back.

Almost—but a voice was speaking inside Kazuki's head. "You dare defy me? What kind of senshi are you if you do not fight back? Are you as weak as they believe you are? Show them your power!"

Sailor Star Believer snapped out of the Kakyuu's power. "I will not be influenced by you anymore!" She took out her Star Yell and aimed it at the Princess. Before anyone could protect her, Kakyuu was hit by a dark beam. She was thrown back against the wall. Orion ran over to check on her while Maker and Healer began to use their powers against their former comrade.

"Are you alright?" asked Orion, his dark blue eyes full of worry.

"I'll be fine. I can't believe it…I was so close…perhaps I was too distracted." Kakyuu hung her head.

"You did what you could."

"And now the end is inevitable."

Fighter, meanwhile, was battling her conscience. Seeing her princess attacked was a strong motivation to go after Kazuki, but at the same time, Kazuki was still a Starlight to her. She thought back to when Kazuki was first made a Starlight…and thought of memories till that moment struck her. To some degree, she realized that Kazuki was somewhat right—to some extent, she was still an outsider.

The black-haired Starlight shook her head, clearing her thoughts. There was no changing the past. There was the mission and what had to be done. With reluctant determination, she held up her Star Yell and called out, "Star Serious Laser!" Her attack landed on Believer, just as she was about to finish off Sailor Star Maker. Maker looked back gratefully.

Fighter sighed, and nodded to Orion. He understood and wordlessly he unsheathed his sword. He dashed towards Believer and struck her directly in the heart. The sword glowed, and he pulled it out, causing blood to start spilling. Believer fell to her knees and looked up, her mouth gaped open in shock, her hand over her heart. All but Kakyuu and Sailor Star Fighter looked away as Believer collapsed, gasping for breath. Tears gathered in Kakyuu's eyes as she watched her once-faithful Starlight die.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long update. I'll blame my fiancé and college for it :P**

**Also wanted to note that perhaps Kakyuu could have healed Kazuki, perhaps without Galaxia's influence, and if Galaxia hadn't already taken her Star Seed.**


	9. Chapter VIII

_Chapter VIII_

"Not her. No…" Kakyuu whispered. It was already too late. She glared at Orion, but knew it was not his fault. She turned to Sailor Star Fighter. "Was this the only way?" she cried.

"I am afraid so, Princess," the black-haired senshi answered sadly.

Believer's body began to fade. She was smiling. "Everyone…thank you. I am free now." All eyes focused on the blonde Starlight. "I wish…you can keep your hope. Don't give up. I won't." As the last of her body disappeared, the others whispered their goodbyes.

"How can she tell us to have hope when she's died? Our light of hope…" cried Healer. The others were a little surprised, as Healer rarely showed such emotion, though they attributed it to the intense loss of their comrade. "She was one of us," continued the gray-haired Starlight, "a true senshi."

The others nodded in agreement, aside from Orion, who stayed silent and immovable. Part of him was filled with guilt for killing the poor girl. The look Kakyuu had given him upon the death of the senshi girl was unmistakable—it was filled with tragedy and hate. The other part of him, however, felt that somehow he had helped avert an even greater tragedy, and so he contented himself with thinking he had done the right thing. Despite the uneasiness he felt, he did speak up. "I believe that she would not want you to give up." The others stared at him, a mixture of glaring and saddened faces. "She said to not lose hope. You still have each other…and you still have your Princess."

"He's right, you know," agreed Fighter. "Let's not give up so soon. We will fight for Kazuki. We will repay Galaxia for what she has done."

The others murmured vows of the similar sort. After that, it was silent for a long, long time as the Starlights and the Princess mourned the loss of their friend.

**

They finally decided that Galaxia appeared to be far away and figured that the evil senshi would not return for some time. Galaxia had made it clear that she did not expect them to live—perhaps because she felt that those close to the Starlight would be reluctant to kill her. It was a sad truth, but as Fighter pointed out, it was the only thing going for them. They had the distinct advantage of being alive.

The rest of the city was abandoned, most likely due to Galaxia's influence. Their Star Seeds were probably all gone, or perhaps they were killed out of spite. No one wanted to think about the horrible fate that the people had probably faced. It was already an overwhelming failure for the Starlights as it was, having lost their comrade and losing many of the people as well.

The Starlights, Orion, and Kakyuu had taken refuge in the palace. It was the only building in the vicinity that had not been completely obliterated, aside from the Star Tower. They held conferences in the throne room, talking of different strategies. They had agreed that their revenge could not come hastily; they would not let their emotions take over.

Their ideas did not lead them anywhere, however. They had discussed sending the senshi to other planets for help, though the Starlights did not want to leave Kakyuu behind. They had discussed leaving altogether, but felt they could not desert their home without a real fight. In her despair, Kakyuu had suggested surrendering, but a combination of pride and fury among the Starlights prevented her from going through with the idea.

Finally, it was decided that they would take on the problem directly. Together, they would hunt down Galaxia and prevent her from destroying more worlds.

* * *

**A/N: This was something of an interlude…and also to make up for lost time. Hope you enjoyed the update!**


	10. Chapter IX

Outside, the world was falling apart. Though the Starlights and the royals would not have known it, they were the only survivors left. All others had either surrendered or were destroyed by Galaxia while she conquered the land. As the Star Seeds of Kinmoku were taken by foce, the planet became dimmer, losing its magic.

* * *

Seiya was leaning against a window, looking worriedly outside. She and the other Starlights had noticed the approaching darkness. Even the palace itself has lost its glimmer; it was now a cold, quiet, and haunting reminder of what used to be. The crystal walls seemed to be nothing more than faded paint. It seemed as if the palace had aged many years over the course of just a few days.

She also noticed there was one less bright star in the sky. It was another painful reminder of how they had lost Sailor Star Believer just a few days before. Perhaps that was why the world was so dark, she figured. There was no hope left.

Yaten interrupted her thoughts. "How long must we wait before we go?" she asked angrily, pacing across their room. Her patience was wearing thin, and she seemed rather eager to exact revenge on the senshi who ruined their world.

Seiya sighed. "Soon. Very soon."

"I feel like we are cowards, hiding out here while she's out there," remarked Yaten crossly.

"We will go as soon as the princess is ready," stated Taiki.

"I do not like just waiting! What is her hesitation?"

Seiya went over to Yaten and put a hand on her shoulder. "We will go soon, I promise. I'm sure Kakyuu is hesitant for many reasons. We could all die…and she probably could not bear to watch another one of us become like Kazuki." Her voice choked on her former comrade's name, but she continued to speak. "Another reason is probably Orion. They have gotten rather close over the past few days, and these may be the last moments they have together."

"That bastard. How dare he stick around after killing—"

"He did it because it was necessary. We tried our best to save her, Yaten. I gave him the okay to do it, so if you are going to blame anyone, blame me."

There was a silence in the room. "But aren't you jealous?"

Seiya crossed her arms defiantly. "I do not know what you are talking about."

Yaten smirked. "You know very well what I mean."

The two women stared at each other intensely. Taiki, noticing the building tension in the room, went over to her friends and started to separate them. "Fighting isn't going to solve anything. Remember, the real enemy is out there," she reminded them, pointing to the window.

Seiya and Yaten relaxed their postures, but held their gaze. "Well, I hope we leave soon, at any rate," said Yaten. She spun around on her heel and headed out of the room.

* * *

"Princess?" Orion called out, knocking on Kakyuu's bedroom door.

"Come in," answered a quiet voice. He entered the room and closed the door behind him. Kakyuu herself was sitting upon a windowsill, gazing upon the ruins of her home city. She turned to him, with eyes reddened from crying.

"I wanted to apologize for ending your Starlight's life."

Kakyuu looked away again. "You do not have to. I understand. It was difficult to accept at first, but it was…as Seiya said…necessary."

Orion's eyes widened with surprised, but he nodded. He walked across the room and sat across from the princess on the same windowsill. "The Starlights are getting restless," he pointed out.

"Yes, I know," replied the princess. She wiped away a stray tear from her face. "I know they want revenge for what has happened…but all I want is peace. I wish we could just run away from this fate—but that would do no justice for dear Kazuki."

"You are a very brave soul," spoke Orion.

"No, you are braver. You can at least fight."

Orion smiled a little. "But Princess, I am scared as well. I just happen to hide it. I never thought that something like this could happen while I was away from my home. For all I know, this Galaxia could come to my home and destroy it as well."

"I did not think of that," said Kakyuu quietly.

"It is alright. I did not expect you to." Orion took her hands into his. "Surely you see that at some point, we will have to face her. But know that I will face this battle with you—and so will your Starlights. They and I would never betray you, dear Princess."

"Do you think I am ready?"

"Well, no one ever knows they are ready—until the moment comes. I have every faith in you. You will succeed in whatever choices you make."

Kakyuu's eyes watered again. "Thank you. You do not know how much this means to me."

Orion shrugged slightly. "I think I have some idea." He leaned forward. Kakyuu met him and they kissed. "Perhaps, when this is all over, you can come visit where I live," Orion offered.

"I think I would like that." They kissed again, one last time.

* * *

The five people left on Kinmoku began their march to the highest point on the planet, a tall mountain a few miles north of the palace. It was more narrow than wide, and so tall that the clouds around it only marked half of the height. The group had decided to go there for their final battle because, as Seiya had pointed out, there would be no better place to make their stand. At the summit of the mountain were the tombs of the greatest rulers of the planet, and while walking to a tomb was not a comforting idea, there was a myth that during times of trouble, the dead would lend their power to those who requested it. And so, desperate for a miracle, the Starlights and the royals headed towards the majestic mountain.

They were quiet the entire walk to the landform. As they started their ascent up the trails of the mountain, Sailor Star Healer spoke up. "How do we even know that Galaxia would come here? Surely she would not even know of the myths that surround this mountain."

"Well, it is the highest point on the planet. If she is as much of a conqueror as she appears to be, she would want to come here, and relish the pride of her so-called victory," Sailor Star Fighter answered.

"Hmm."

They were quiet again for some time. Plants became scarcer as they climbed higher and higher into the atmosphere, until they finally reached their destination. The top of the mountain was somewhat flat, with rocks surrounding the edge. A few tall plants jutted off the edge, but otherwise, it was clear and cold.

"Where is she?" Healer muttered as she paced around the top.

"Not here, obviously," spoke Maker. "Perhaps she has already moved on to another planet."

"No, not quite. Her presence has not left us completely," stated Kakyuu.

It was quiet for a minute as the five of them wandered around the top aimlessly. Finally, out of exasperation and impatience, Fighter called out angrily from the edge, "Galaxia, you coward! Come here and fight if you want to truly be a conqueror of worlds!"

The others stared at her, speechless. They looked around to see if the golden senshi would answer the call. In the center of their group, she suddenly appeared. The Starlights and royal jumped back in surprise, standing just on the edge, surrounding the evil senshi. "Why am I not surprised," drawled Galaxia, "you are still alive. I should have known, seeing as how the very last light of this planet is not gone. It is no matter—I shall have those Star Seeds anyhow."

Orion unsheathed his sword, a glowing golden light emitting from its blade. The others posed in battle stance. "A challenge you are not," continued Galaxia, "but I shall battle you anyway. You obviously have the most powerful Star Seeds, much more valuable than the majority of the ones I have found."

"Let's do this then." Healer jumped forward and called out her attack. "Star Healer Tornado!" A cyclone of strong wind erupted from her Star Yell and blasted Galaxia. Dust and rock gathered around the evil senshi, making seeing her impossible—until a few moments later when she broke free of the spell and blasted the debris back at the Starlights.

"Nice try. That almost tickled," taunted Galaxia with a cackle.

Maker gritted her teeth and called out, "Star Maker Strike!" A strike of lightning erupted from her and headed towards Galaxia, who waved it off as if it were an annoying bug.

Princess Kakyuu felt helpless. There her Starlights were, and their attacks were doing very little damage to the over-confident senshi. It was time for things to change—for her to stand forward. She looked at Orion, who gave her an encouraging smile, and began to transform. "Kinmoku Star Power, Make-up!" A vivid stream of ruby and orange colors surrounded her, until her sailor fuku appeared instead of her long skirt. She readied herself. "You will not win this time, Galaxia! By the power of the Ruby Crystal, I shall punish you! Kinmoku Fusion Tempest!" A powerful storm erupted from the princess's hands and rushed towards Sailor Galaxia.

Unprepared and off-guard, Galaxia was blown back and fell on a corner of rocks. She grumbled in pain. "You bitch! You shall pay for that!" She raised her hands to attack the princess, but after a second thought, she aimed her vengeance at Orion. A golden blast struck the prince, and he screamed in agony as the flash of her attack surrounded him. The others watched helplessly as the great prince was raised high in the air, then dropped onto the ground. He did not get up, nor did he appear to be breathing. Then his Star Seed sprouted from his forehead, and the others knew he was done for.

"No," gasped Sailor Kakyuu. "Not him…" She rushed to his side, but was blasted back by Galaxia.

"I am afraid helping him is out of the question," said Galaxia coldly as she collected the Seed. "Such a beautiful light…he would have been a good match for you, Princess."

"How could you?" yelled Kakyuu as she struggled to get up, watching as Orion's body faded.

Galaxia said, "Do not think that you can stop me, or fix what has happened to him. Fate is fate." She grasped the Seed tightly, and when she opened her palm, it was gone. "On second thought, this is all rather boring. I have all the Star Seeds I need to blast you all into oblivion. Surely you do not hope to defeat me. My only weakness is that Light of Hope, which surely has faded into the corners of this galaxy." She laughed. "You can always surrender, you know."

"Light of Hope?" whispered Fighter. "Was that Believer?"

"I don't know," answered Maker quietly.

Kakyuu declared aloud, "We will not surrender! For our friends and for our home, we shall fight!" She began to prepare another attack on the evil senshi, but this time Galaxia was prepared for her, and with a simple wave of her hand, knocked Kakyuu back to the edge of the mountain.

"Go, Princess, run! We shall take care of this witch!" Fighter called out.

Healer ran over to the princess. "Go, Kakyuu. Escape and there will still be hope."

"I can't leave you," Kakyuu said. "I won't abandon you!"

"Even if you did run," Sailor Galaxia interrupted sharply, "I would still find you and capture your Star Seed. Nothing is short of my grasp!"

"We won't let her get you," Healer said to the princess-senshi. "Now go!"

"I can't…" cried Kakyuu. Memories flashed through her mind: her parents, smiling gently; the five of them, Starlights and her, together in the palace; falling in love with Orion; then the destruction of her home. It was almost too much for her to bear.

"_Don't you trust us?" Seiya asked her._

"_Of course I do. I would do anything for you," Kakyuu said._

"_And we would do anything for you. So trust us when we say that you need to escape."_

"_But I would never leave you."_

"_Well, one day you might have to. And when that day comes, you must be ready."_

"_That's so depressing, Seiya…."_

The memory of her past conversations with Seiya reminded how much her Starlights cared about her and would not let her get hurt. "Okay, you win, girls," muttered the Princess. She dashed down the mountain, leaving the Starlights alone with Galaxia. She did not make it far, however, as her leg had been injured, and she collapsed against a tree. This was all wrong; it was never supposed to happen like this. She felt like a fool for running like this—what if Galaxia found her anyways? She shook her head. Her Starlights had never failed her before.

Trying to catch her breath, she examined her leg. It was gashed in the shin, probably from the rocks she had landed on earlier. She tore off a piece of her fuku and wrapped it around the wound and pressed to stop the bleeding. It was going to be difficult traveling through space with an injury.

Kakyuu heard a rustle behind her. Turning around, she spotted a small girl with red hair, similar to hers. It was tied in two heart-shaped buns on either side of her head. She did not appear to be more than four years old. Comforted by the sight of the small child, but confused as to her appearance, Kakyuu called out to her. "Hello. What are you doing here?"

The child turned her head to the side. "Chibi?"

Kakyuu smiled in spite of herself. The child had apparently not learned to speak yet. So young…and so alone. She wondered how the girl ended up on the mountain. She studied the girl more and now noticed that she wore a sailor fuku. It was white with a blue collar and a blue skirt, with a red bow and a heart in the center of the bow. She wore cute little white boots, which themselves had red hearts on their tops. Her golden tiara, white gloves, red choker also had little red hearts in the center. She also had innocent blue eyes and a disarming smile. "What sort of senshi are you?" Kakyuu inquired.

"Chibi Chibi!" the girl answered enthusiastically.

"Sailor Chibi Chibi?" Kakyuu giggled. The force of the laughter shook her leg, and she grimaced in pain. Perhaps she had damaged it more than she thought. She looked at the girl again. "Whoever you are…you probably should not be here. There is danger on the mountain."

"Chibi," the girl replied.

"You should go. But you have nowhere to go to, do you?" Kakyuu's eyes softened.

"Chibi chibi." The girl wandered over and pressed her gloved hand on the princess's wound.

Kakyuu had felt weak, but upon the simple gesture of the touch, she felt immensely better. "A warm light," she murmured, staring at the girl, who now seemed to have a light aura about her.

"Chibi?" asked the little girl. She was pointing to the sky, where a shooting star streamed across.

Kakyuu was not sure what the girl meant at first. The star reminded her of Believer. Part of her wanted to follow the star, far away from this desolate place.

"Chibi," the small senshi said again, smiling. She tugged on Kakyuu's arm and pointed again.

Suddenly Kakyuu understood. "You want to leave." She stood up and looked at the sky, and then turned to where the Starlights were fighting Galaxia. She could hear the distant battle cries of her comrades. She faced the little senshi next to her, gathered her in her arms, and found the strength to start the journey away from her home.

* * *

**Again, apologies for the delay. I honestly have had the entire story written on sticky notes for some weeks now. I just finally have gotten a little time to share the rest of it with you all.**

**Also, for those of you who write: I find that music helps inspire me. On this chapter, it was really important to have the right theme….for me, anyway.**


	11. Chapter X

Kakyuu let Chibi-Chibi, as she had dubbed the tiny senshi-girl, lead the way. She was unfamiliar with the route they were taking, though she was breathless with wonder—partly from exhaustion from traveling, but also at the sight of giant planets with rings and such.

Chibi-Chibi led her to a small blue and green planet with a single gray moon. Together they shot through the atmosphere, towards what appeared to be a small island. The island grew immensely bigger as they approached it. To those on the planet watching the skies, it was evening, and the lights of Kakyuu and Chibi-Chibi were simple shooting stars in the twilight.

They landed in a deserted garden. It was rather beautiful, but Kakyuu did not want to gaze upon it. She gasped for breath as she adjusted to the atmosphere of the alien planet. She was lost and alone on a strange planet. She could feel the grip of fear and panic encircle her, until she felt a tug on her sleeve. It was Chibi-Chibi, smiling cheerfully. Kakyuu smiled too. She was not alone after all.

She tried to stand, but felt too weak from the travel. The small girl produced a small incense box. "Chibi?"

Kakyuu wondered vaguely where she had gotten it from. Her thoughts were becoming more clouded by the minute.

"Chibi chibi." The girl opened the box. She motioned her hand towards the princess, then put her hand into the box.

Kakyuu tilted her head. "You want me—to get in there?" she pointed.

The girl nodded. "There chibi." She produced a small white wand with an encircled heart on it.

Confused, but trusting the small child's magic, she allowed herself to change form. She entered the box, and the small girl closed the box. A warm olive scent was the only hint that there was something in the incense box.

Chibi-chibi herself detransformed, and to the ordinary onlooker, appeared to be just a toddler with an oversized incense box. She ran out of the garden until she came upon a street. She then walked along the sidewalk, as if she knew exactly where she was going. After some time, she came upon a two-story house. It was ordinary in every way, and similar to other houses on the same street. The little girl studied the name on the mailbox—Tsukino. Nodding to herself, she made her way to the front door of the home…

***

The Starlights continued to battle Galaxia, but she continued to wave off their attacks. Once in a while, they would catch her off-guard, but for the majority of the time, Galaxia seemed impenetrable. Galaxia herself continued to taunt them, angering them even more.

Suddenly, a flash of light shone from the side of the mountain—a pure, red comet-like light, along with a small pink flash. "She's leaving," said Healer, gazing at the leaving lights.

"We should follow her," stated Fighter quietly, "before Galaxia decides to."

Maker asked, "Why? We could finish her here and now."

Fighter shook her head. "We need to regroup and rethink our strategy here. Even the power of the mountain is not helping anymore."

Maker sighed. "Fine."

"What's all that whispering about? Still trying to figure out how to beat me?" Galaxia teased.

"Not anymore," declared Sailor Star Fighter. She focused her energy, along with the other two Starlights, and together they shot up, shooting stars together in the throes of space.

"I will find you," declared Galaxia to no one in particular. "I will possess those Star Seeds—and there will be no one to stop me." She conjured her own light, and shot off in pursuit of the Starlights and their princess.

***

It was often difficult to communicate while traveling at the speed of light, and so the Starlights spoke not a word as they tried to find where their princess could have gone. They slowed their speed and tried to search for clues in the great cosmos. Suddenly, Fighter motioned towards a small blue and green planet far in the distance. A faint trail of pink butterflies extended from it. Together, the Starlights headed for the unfamiliar planet.

***

They landed in a forest, just outside of a rather large city. They could hear the sound of machinery and some sort of motor growling at a short distance.

"Where the hell are we?" demanded Sailor Star Healer.

Fighter shrugged. "Not sure. But this is definitely where the princess went."

"And you're sure of this how?"

"Her scent. And that pink trail…there was a pink light leaving with Kakyuu when she escaped from Kinmoku. Not sure what that was…it's definitely not her magic, but it's with her at the moment, whatever it is."

Maker sighed. "Well, she could be anywhere on this planet."

"Pretty sure she's in the region somewhere. We can't be that far off."

"Well, how will we find her? And what do we do if we do not find her immediately? I fear we may be here for some time," stated Healer.

"Let's detransform and head towards where the people are. We can perhaps blend into the culture here and find our way to her. Perhaps someone has seen her."

"Oh yes, because I'm sure she hasn't gone incognito by now," replied Healer sarcastically. The other Starlights stared at her. Healer put her hand to her head. "Sorry. That was bitchy." She detransformed and appeared in her normal Kinmokuan garb. "I'm just worried."

Fighter detransformed as well. "We all are," she said, as her clothes changed. "Do not worry—you saw the power she exerted on the mountain. As long as she still has that ability—that rare senshi form—she can defend herself."

***

"Damn them! Where did they go?" a certain golden senshi wondered. She noticed a streak of light and decided to follow it. Surely the light would lead to more light…and sure enough, she spotted a silver pearly moon orbiting a planet full of light. Motivated by the amount of light she saw, she sped towards it, hungry for more power.

***


	12. Chapter XI

Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten had finally found civilization. They were walking along the sidewalks of some place called Tokyo. The lights and tall buildings fascinated them, though while they were sightseeing, they discussed their plans to find the princess.

Occasionally, they would talk about the different strange sights. One in particular caught Seiya's attention. "These people are really big on entertainment, aren't they?"

"What do you mean?" asked Taiki.

"Just take a look around. Posters of people singing are plastered everywhere. Billboards of beautiful people are over there. You can hear music in different shops." Suddenly Seiya stopped in her tracks. "That's it!" she said excitedly.

"The music? It's not too terribly great," remarked Yaten. She and Taiki stopped their walking and faced Seiya.

"No, don't you see? We could become singers. If anyone can recognize our voices, it's the Princess! And she'll find us by our songs."

"Ah, I see. Do you think it will really work?"

"Yes! We could call ourselves the Four Lights!" Seiya's excitement died down in a mere moment and she looked down. "I mean…the Three Lights."

The moments of realization was saddened by the thought of the lost Starlight. Yaten put her hand on Seiya's shoulder and declared, "We'll sing for her too."

Seiya nodded gratefully. "Let's go find a place to get discovered. Anyone know where to go?"

"How about there?" Taiki pointed at a poster advertising auditions.

"That's our ticket! I am unfamiliar with the address…or any address…let's ask someone." And with that, Seiya dashed off in search of directions. Taiki and Yaten followed.

***

Above the Earth's atmosphere, a golden senshi mused over her new find. "They will think they are safe. They will forget about me. But I will not forget about them. They led me right to a planet full of light. Now I shall unleash my power upon this oblivious people. They will not last much longer…and soon, I will finally have the entire light of this galaxy within my grasp!"

She made her descent to investigate the planet. She was nearing a small island when she saw another object in the air with her. It was loud, and she could sense beings on it. Rather intrigued and eager to start her conquest, she forced the plane to a full stop. ^

***

It took the Starlights the better part of the day to navigate to the other side of town, due to some miscommunication about streets and directions. Finally, the Starlights found their destination. A long line of hopeful singers were standing outside the building, waiting for the doors to open. Some people were pushing their way towards the front, and others were practicing—badly, in Yaten's opinion—off to the side.

The group was mostly women, though there were a few men there, though they looked like they had been dragged there by some of the women.

Taiki rolled her eyes. "You sure we're in the right place this time?"

"Yes. Look at it this way, at least we will not have to worry about competition," said Seiya with a grin. She saw a rather attractive blonde girl in the crowd with pigtails and buns on either side of her head. She almost laughed out loud—the hairstyle looked like odangos*. Seiya felt somewhat compelled to go over and talk to the girl, but remembered she wasn't there to socialize, she was there to compete in order to find the Princess.

Finally, the doors open, and a few security guards restored some order to the mass chaos at the front. A few girls began shedding tears when, to their disappointment, they were told to go to the back of the line. Yaten scoffed, "You would think they would be much more mature. What a bunch of whiners."

Seiya nudged her and gave her a look that plainly said now was not the time for her sarcastic comments. The trio trudged along in the line and entered the building.

It was an old studio with an extended stage and stadium seats. Friends of the participants sat in the stands, cheering on for whoever they were there for, earning another eye roll from Taiki.

The contest was introduced briefly by a big man in a too-small suit. He introduced himself as the assistant manager of a record company, and he was looking for the next "Idol." He then presented a group of judges. Afterwards, he allowed the contestants to begin.

There were an interesting mix of talents; there were some good singers, and others were just plain terrible. Those who were rejected or told to wait sat in the stands, and so the watching audience became larger. The judges were fairly strict as well; they gave one girl such a bad review, she broke down crying and was led away by a sympathetic friend. One girl had a bad case of stage fright and ran screaming from the stage as soon as she stepped onto it. Another contestant was a guy whose singing was so terrible that everyone just laughed. The guy shrugged his shoulders and grinned—apparently he had just been kidding.

"Another wonderful example of how immature these young people are," Taiki muttered.

Yaten remarked, "Yes, but they are so carefree. They know nothing of the ravages of war…or at least, of the war we have fought."

"They have no idea what is coming."

"Hush, we're next," Seiya said quietly.

The trio walked onstage. The room was quiet until Seiya started her melody.

The others joined in:

_Search for your love...  
Search for your love..._

You have always been shining so brightly  
Your smiling face is just like a tiny star  
I have been treasuring it (Eternal starlight)  
On that day I could not come and protect you  
I just held my tears of regret inside  
I am still feeling the pain (I won't forget you, sweetheart)

Search for your love, the crystals of the heavens  
Search for your love, please don't start to cry  
Search for your love, I really  
Want to hold you close to me now

Your strong scent, I'm always (searching for it)  
Can you hear my voice calling out (I love you so)  
Where are you now (Moonlight Princess)  
My lovely princess  
Answer me, answer for me  
Right away, answer for me  
Answer me, answer for me  
So gently, answer for me

Running through the distant night sky  
Now I make a wish on a shooting star  
Whispering I want to be with you (Please tell this to her, starlight)  
As time passes by, we become adults  
I have finally realized that  
The broken pieces are not enough (Please stay by my side, sweetheart)

Search for your love, on the silver ocean  
Search for your love, the ship floats adrift  
Search for your love, in this madness  
It will be swept out to you

Your strong scent, I'm always (searching for it)  
Can you hear my voice calling out (I love you so)  
Where are you now (Moonlight Princess)  
My lovely princess  
*Answer me, answer for me  
Right away, answer for me  
Answer me, answer for me  
So gently, answer for me

Even before the song had ended, people were cheering and whistling. At the end of the song, the Starlights stopped to catch their breath while the board of judges addressed them.

"Wherever did you learn such a song?" inquired a dark-haired older woman.

"We wrote it ourselves," answered Seiya.

A round of applause erupted from the audience.

Another judge, a man with short cropped hair, said, "That is quite impressive. I could see that becoming a hit. What do you gentlemen call yourselves?"

Yaten cleared her throat to correct the judge, but Seiya interrupted her. "I am Seiya, this is Yaten, and he is Taiki. We are the Three Lights."

"Well, everyone," spoke the assistant manager from earlier, "I believe we have a winner here! So fresh, so young, so handsome—just what we are looking for! And very talented as well." He stood up as the audience cheered and applauded. "Now, I would ask you to meet me on the fifth floor. I'll help you set up contracts this very afternoon."

The newly-dubbed Three Lights grinned and made their exit stage right.

"I do not understand. They think we are men?" asked Yaten.

Seiya nodded. "It is better this way. Galaxia is probably well-informed from her spy Golden Eagle that we are women. We will hide in plain sight—just with different identities. She doesn't know our first names, just our senshi names."

"Ah, I see now. How simple, and yet—it might work."

Taiki said confidently. "It _will _work. I trust Seiya." She smiled at the leader of the Starlights.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting," Seiya told the others with a wink.

Together, the trio walked towards their next step in finding their Princess.

* * *

**And you know the rest. If not, watch season 5—Sailor Moon, Sailor Stars. :D**

**^ In case you were wondering about the airplane scene, it is where Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask meets Galaxia and is defeated by her.**

***You know who odango-girl is ^_^**


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